Moses Pereyra de Paiva

Moses Pereyra de Paiva was descended from a wealthy merchant family of Spanish origin. Born in Amsterdam, he became a jewel merchant, trading for the Dutch East India Company in Surat. In 1686, he headed a delegation to the Jewish community of Cochin, India. There he collected information on the community’s history and way of life. De Paiva was warmly received by the “white Jews” in Cochin, and this led to close contacts between Jews of Amsterdam and Cochin until Dutch rule over Malabar came to an end in 1795. De Paiva published Notisias dos Judeos de Cochim (Report on the Jews of Cochin), in which he described the community’s origin, economy, traditions, and communal organization. It likewise includes a “color-coded” list of all householders. It seems that de Paiva spent the remainder of his life in the Indies.